Figgins back in groove

ANAHEIM – Angels third baseman Chone Figgins has done several things this season better than anybody in the American League.

He has reached base 274 times heading into a three-game weekend series against the Athletics, and he has 98 walks. Leading the AL in both categories, he also is tied for the lead in runs scored (109) with Boston’s Dustin Pedroia.

Back-to-back three-hit games against the Yankees on Tuesday and Wednesday brought Figgins back over the .300 mark, to .301. His .399 on-base percentage has him tied for fifth in the AL with the Yankees’ Derek Jeter, the only leadoff man to get on base that frequently.

With a .471 stretch through his past 17 at-bats, Figgins has put a .188 stretch in 32 at-bats in his rear-view mirror.

“You’re not always going to get hits to fall,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “Even thought hits weren’t falling, he was still getting on base, walking. That’s what makes him a dynamic offensive player. He can get on base even when he’s not swinging the bat well. He’s done that.”

It was Bobby Abreu, arguably the most disciplined hitter in the sport, who pointed something out to Figgins early in the season that his next-locker neighbor has not forgotten.

“Bobby said, `You’re a good hitter. Be more selective. Because you’re a leadoff hitter, that’s what’s going to set you apart.’ He said, `You may not get two hits in a game, but going 0-for-2 with two walks and scoring two runs, you’ve had a great game.

“He said I could do that without taking away my aggressiveness. You get a pitch to hit, go after it. It’s interesting what has happened this year. I’m getting a lot of first-pitch changeups, curveballs. They’re showing me respect. They know if I get a pitch I can handle, I can drive it.”

Figgins has five homers for the season, but two have come in the past four games. He is four runs away from matching his career high of 113 from 2005.

With 42 steals, third in the AL, he’s 20 away from his career high set in that same 2005 season when he played a career-best 158 games and batted .290.

Having played a team-high 149 games, Figgins could finish with 159. But it’s not likely he’ll continue to play every game in the aftermath of a third consecutive American League West title.

On top of his endurance and offensive productivity, Figgins is clearly a strong candidate for the AL Rawlings Gold Glove for his brilliant play at third base.

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Figgy may be in a groove, but the Angel offense as a whole is not. They do not look like a team ready to meet to Red Sox in the 1st round of the playoffs. They are swinging at bad pitches again, getting themselves out. They are not getting key hits with men in scoring position or at least making quality outs to get the guy over. I do not like the momentum we have right now going in. We dropped 2 games in Boston and looked like a team that choked, again. I mean, where is the confidence?? When we play Boston, the guys look scared to get the ball hit to them or to get a big hit! Come on, bring it to those arrogant A-holes! We dropped two 1 run games to the Yanks because we could not get a simple base hit to drive some runs in in critical spots. These are all things we need to be able to do to win in October. We will get bounced in the first round if we continue this way. The Red Sox have a healthy rotation again, and let me tell you they are going to bring it to us.

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